Ashton Dickson, who died in a Rideau Street shooting early Monday morning, was a talented football player who aimed for a career in the CFL.

Dickson, 25, had already been a star at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School when he was recruited to don the blue and white uniform of the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in Antigonish, N.S. Dickson played at StFX from 2011 to 2015 wearing the No. 8.

X-Men head coach Gary Waterman recalled seeing Dickson in a recruiting video when Dickson was still in high school.

“It was one of those moments. We were looking for another running back and saw him on film. His explosiveness, balance and toughness – it was really dazzling. He was such a competitive person who was passionate about the game,” said Waterman.

“He grew while he was with us and he added so much value to the team.”

Dickson became St. FX’s all-time leading rusher, and was named the most valuable player of the Atlantic University Sport football regular season in his senior year, receiving the Chris Flynn Trophy. Dickson led the league in all rushing categories, including carries (160), total rushing yards (866), yards per game (108.3) and average yards per rush (5.4). He also led the conference in all-purpose yards with 1,320.

Ashton Dickson with the ball in a game against the UBC Thunderbirds in November, 2015.Andrew Vaughan /
CP

In November 2015, Dickson helped the X-Men win the first championship in 19 years with a run that got the team into position for a game-winning field goal.

In a recent recruiting video for StFX, Dickson spoke of his decision to go to StFX, the camaraderie of the team and the thrill of the game.

“Bagpipes playing. Then you know you’re at X,” said Dickson in the video. “When your heart is beating so heavy that it’s all you can hear inside your helmet. Knowing you’re about to go to war with your brothers, knowing that they’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs. No names on the back of the jersey because we play for each other. We play for the school. We’re part of a brotherhood represented by one icon, one letter, one symbol: X.”

Dickson was determined to play for the CFL and attended some regional combines, but he wasn’t drafted in his senior year.

“Part of it is being talented. Part of it is being at the right situation in the right time. A lot of scouts were interested in him. He was still a heck of a player,” says Waterman.

In March 2016, Dickson tried again at the CFL regional combine in Montreal.

“This is a second chance for me. It’s the last chance I get in front of all the scouts,” Dickson told reporter Tim Baines at the time. “It’s like a pro day for me, a chance to put down my numbers. I know I have to perform way better. I hope to get signed. Pro ball is my dream.”

Waterman was still proud of Dickson for finishing his arts degree in four years. He urges his players to work hard at their academic careers because a completed degree offers an opening to the work world if a pro football career doesn’t pan out.

In 2011, StFX was coming off a disappointing season. Waterman recruited six players from the 2010 Sooners team to play at the university — Dickson, twins Jerome and Jesse Stevens, Cory Armstrong, Shane Nolan and Ron Omara, now a linebacker with the Ottawa Redblacks.

Bino Cesario coached Dickson when he played for the Ottawa Sooners in the fall of 2010. He was a former teammate of Waterman and asked him to have a look at some of the Sooners.

“He was an amazing talent,” Cesario said of Dickson. “He worked really hard, trained hard and was always looking to get better and improve himself. He would do anything for his teammates. He was hard-working and committed to be the best player he could become.”

Jerome Stevens grew close to Dickson while they were at StFX. They both graduated in 2015.

“He was always joking around. He has the biggest, widest smile. If he didn’t like something, he would tell you like it is. If there was something you did well, he would let you know,” said Stevens, who tried out for the Redblacks with Dickson in the spring of 2016. But it didn’t work out for either player.

“Football and school were at the same level of importance to him. He took school really seriously. His future was so good. He could have done many things.”

News of Dickson’s shooting has reverberated through the world of university football and the StFX community, said Waterman.

“They are like my sons. When you see them grow and mature, it’s special to see them graduate and become young men.”

Cesario says he saw Dickson last summer. He hadn’t given up his dream of a pro career was still training and aiming to be signed as a free agent.

“Why would anyone shoot a young kid who had his whole life in front of him?” said Cesario. “I makes no sense to me.”

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